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Sunday, June 22, 2014

Caressed by Shadows - Excerpt

I hope you all are well and enjoying your summer. Today, I'm sharing the first chapter of Caressed by Shadows (Rulers of Darkness, #4). I wish you all happy reading!

Chapter One

Rain ran in rivulets down his face, the droplets caught on his
lashes like tiny crystals, a delicate contrast to the harsh gunmetal grey of
his eyes.

Falcon observed the group of Red
Order Hunters that gathered in the ally below. Shadows clung to him, concealing
him in their darkness. His prey’s laughter sailed on the wind, their merriment
grating his nerves.

Poor
bastards, they were peacefully oblivious to the specter of death that stalked
them.

The
hunters had taken from him, stolen what he loved most in this world. Sonya
Rebane, the queen of the Voidukas Clan.

Three weeks. Sonya had endured
imprisonment for three weeks and if she had one bruise or a single scratch to
mare her smooth skin, he would roast every last Red Order hunter.

His fangs burned as his vision darkened, his
gray eyes turning as black as the pits of hell.

Tonight, he would save her. Tonight, he would
have Sonya in his arms.

The gentle hum of a car’s engine drifting on the
air disrupted his thoughts.

Glancing up at the night sky, Falcon judged it
to be about eleven-thirty. It was time for the changing of the guard. He
watched as the hunters piled out of the old black van. They fell in line behind
their commander, a tall, slender, balding man. He would open the secret door
and go down into the dark pit where the cells were located, and where Sonya was
being held. The commander was the only hunter permitted to check on the
prisoners. Once finished, he would return to the group, close the wall, and
take the van back to the soldier’s quarters. They were the only hunters that
did not reside underground like the rest of the Red Order.

Falcon moved to the edge of the
roof. Tension coiled through his body. Crouching down, he balanced on the balls
of his feet. Lightning cut across the sky, the flash causing the chrome of his
holstered twin 1911s to sparkle in the darkness.

The witches turned to face the
wall. Their commander reached out and pressed a single faded brick. The stone
moved revealing a soft glowing blue screen. Falcon’s breath froze in his lungs
as he watched the commander flatten his hand on the screen.

Just a few more seconds, he thought. Anticipation
knotted his gut.

The sound of scrapping bricks
kissed his ears as he watched the wall shift, the bricks drew back revealing
the secret entrance and a set of stairs covered in shadows.

His nostrils flared and his lungs expanded as he
sucked in a deep breath. The unmistakable, unforgettable scent of fresh lilacs
mingled with the putrid smell of waste and dirt.

Sonya was down there.

His fangs burst from their sheaths, long and
sharp. His black eyes burned with rage. His Sonya. They had his Sonya and he
was going take her back.

Falcon stood, freed his weapons and stepped off
the roof, landing silently on the concrete below and stalked toward his prey.

****

“You have brought ruin upon us.”

“No. I’ve brought salvation.”

The hushed voices stung her ears as she slowly
came to consciousness. Sonya suppressed a pained moan as the aching of her
battered body slammed into her like a speeding semi.

The witches had drugged her and dumped her
someplace cold, damp—she took in a deep breath — and dirty. No, dirty did not
even begin to describe her foul surroundings. The stench of sewage, sweat, and
decay bombarded her senses; the rancid odor nearly choking her.

“You are a dreamer,” Samuel spat. “There can
never be peace between the witches and the vampires.”

A long moment of heavy silence passed as Sonya
lay unmoving.

“The Shaw—”

“Are traitors,” Samuel snapped. “They are
witches who happily consort with the leaches. They will pay for their mistake.”

Sonya forced her heart to remain still as she
fought her way out the drug-induced haze.

“This one,” Samuel grunted, his tone laden with
disgust. “Has some special connection with the Shaw, which is why I’ve kept her
alive.”

Carter cursed. “You’re going to ransom the
queen?”

“I plan to offer them a trade.”

“And what do you expect in exchange?”

Samuel hummed as he thought. “I’ve not decided
yet. Either a spell, effectively wiping this planet clean of all vampires or I
may demand our tribe be given our magic back.”

Sonya bit back a harsh laugh. Her suspicions had
been confirmed. She had thought Samuel was an idiot from the first time she saw
him at the peace summit the Shaw had held. Now, she also knew he was
delusional.

“Our powers are gone,” Carter replied. “Our
ancestors traded our magic for strength, so that we would be able to fight the
vampires. You know as well as I that magic always has a price.”

“And you know the price they paid. Every vampire
was once human. They were normal people, living their lives until evil touched
them.” Samuel scoffed but Carter continued, “The strongest vampires are those
that ruthlessly struggled to maintain their mortal lives. The harder they
fought, the stronger their curse became and thus the more powerful their
demon.”

“How dare you victimize those creatures! They
are murderers.”

“Not all are cold blooded killers,” Carter
protested. “Queen Sonya—”

“Is a cold blood killer. Or have you forgotten
how she received the title of Warrior Queen? There was a time when werewolves
existed, but she killed them all. Hunted them down and slaughtered them.”

“That was hundreds of years ago. People change.”

“For the love of God, Carter, these things are
not people.”

Sonya could sense Samuel’s enraged gaze upon
her. It burned into her back like hell fire.

“Do you think it would hesitate before
killing you?” Samuel demanded.

Carter remained silent. Sonya could feel the
tension that coiled through his body.

“Come. It is almost midnight. The changing of
the guard will happen soon and I think it would be best if we let the Commander
handle the leech.”

Samuel’s steps reverberated down the hall, but
Carter remained.

Sonya
gently tilted her head, not wanting to call attention to herself. Her eyelids were
slow to lift. She studied the Red Order Council member. He was dressed in faded
black jeans, a white button up, and wore polished combat boots. His head hung
low as he massaged his brow.

A strange emotion flickered to
life within her. She frowned. Could she possibly be feeling sympathy for her
enemy? When she had first met Carter, approximately a week before her
abduction, she had experienced this same sensation. He, along with Samuel and
three other Red Order council members, had been whom the Shaw had summoned to
the peace meeting. Carter had pushed for a treaty between the Red Order hunters
and the vampires while Samuel outright refused to see reason. At that time, she
had hoped against her better judgment that peace could be obtained. Now, she
lay in a rank cell, her body bruised and her bloodlust rising. Hunger lurked in
her mind like a shadow.

She had
not fed in nearly two months. Her injuries and blood loss were not helping
matters. Without feeding, her body was slow to heal and her psyche fragile.
Bloodlust could easily lead to madness, turning a calm, controlled, and level
headed vampire like herself into a glutinous fiend.

She
ignored the dry burn of her throat and the hard knot forming in her belly.Sighing, she pushed herself up. Her head
throbbed, her vision blurred and her arms nearly gave out. She cursed the
hunters. They must have used the vampire equivalent of an elephant tranquilizer
on her. Her body felt like dead weight, her bones weak, and her muscles
useless. She gritted her teeth and forced through the numbing effect. She had
experienced worse. Much worse.

“Your
Majesty,” Carter gasped.

Sonya
pushed her tangled hair away from her face and leaned back against the wall,
the chill of the stone seeped into her bones. The cooling effects helped to
dispel her numbness.

Damn
it, Silvie, she thought.

The Shaw priestess had assured her that she
wouldn’t have to spend much time in captivity. Sonya was beginning to think her
definition of “not much time” and Silvie’s varied. And Sonya cursed herself.
She had been the idiot who knowingly walked into her enemy’s trap. She smirked
as she wondered how Samuel would react if he knew that tiny bit of information.
She had known the Red Order planned to ambush and capture her, Silvie had warned
her. Samuel may have a plan to strike at the Shaw, but her allies were
prepared.

It would seem Samuel had conveniently
forgotten that there are those amongst the Shaw who possess the gift of
foresight.

“Queen Sonya,” Carter said,
drawing her gaze to him. “I’ve only just learned that you were here.”

“And how
long have I been here?” she asked.

After
being captured in Poland, she had been shuffled across the continent. When they
reached Paris, they had placed a black bag over her head and apparently drugged
her. Their intention, to keep the location of their stronghold secret, however
the Clans knew the witches resided in tunnels under the grand city of London.

“Two
days. If I had known, I would have come sooner. You must know that your
capture was not supported by the council.”

She had expected as much after overhearing Cater
and Samuel’s conversation. Samuel had acted alone, making executive decisions
without the approval of the four other council members. But it made no
difference. She was imprisoned and the war Carter had hoped would end
peacefully would now escalate. Growing more and more violent until the Red
Order was no more.

“I’m terribly sorry.”

“For not paying me a visit or for
my capture?”

“Both,”
he answered.

In a flash of movement, Sonya was
at the bars. Her fingers wrapped around the cool metal rods, her nails
extending to claws. Carter jumped back. Fear now radiated from the witch, the
heady scent heightened her need for blood, thrilling the demon within her.

“Save your apologies for someone
who may care.”

She ran her tongue over her
teeth. Her fangs throbbed. Her gaze flickered to his pulse. Vampire law forbade
the consumptions of Red Order blood, but just a bite—No.Stop!

She
forced herself to step back, prying her fingers one by one from the bars. She
had experienced worse hunger. She had gone longer than this without feeding.

Focus, she told herself. Remain
focused.Revenge and justice will be mine. She shuttered as her old
mantra began to play like a beloved nursery hymn in her mind.

“You are sensible man,” she said,
turning from the bars. She lowered herself to the dirt floor, pressed her back
against the wall, folded her legs Indian style, and willed herself to relax.
Bloodlust pumped like poison through her veins. She curled her hands into fists
to stop her fingers from twitching.

“If only Samuel could be
sensible.”

She shrugged, trying to appear
nonchalant despite the tension that gripped her. “I’ve come across hundreds of
men like Samuel. He is blinded by his hate, he is hungry for revenge, and
because of his selfishness your people suffer.”She paused and gave him a quick once over with her eyes. “But you want
what is best for them. You care about their well being and their future.”

“When I became a Councilman, I
swore to protect my people.”

Sonya was about to reply when a
shiver of awareness raced down her spine. Her hunger had enhanced her senses; sensitized
her hearing, sharpened her vision, and heightened her sense of smell. She took
in a deep breath. The scent of dirt and sewage were strong, the sweet fragrance
of rain was mild, and the stench of hate misted the air — the Commander was
heading their way. But there was something else. Something familiar.

She shook her head and said,
“Before this little stunt, the Red Order only warred with the Mylonas Clan, now
every vampire clan will be out for hunter blood.”

“I don’t
believe that. I can’t.” Carter began to pace. “God, this is a mess.” His steps
quickened.

Another, more intense shiver
tingled along the column of her spine. Sonya closed her eyes and drew in
another breath. A subtle scent of natural male cologne tickled her nose and
ignited her desires, just as it had for the past two centuries.

Sonya swallowed her gasp and
struggled to hide her surprised excitement. She would recognize that scent
anywhere. She eyed Carter. He was still pacing and paying no attention to her,
thank God. She slowly drew her knees up to her chest and lowered her head,
covering her face with her hands.

That delicious scent belonged to
only one man. Sir Falcon Kenwrec. He was here. He had come for her.

Thank you, Silvie.

“If only I knew exactly
what Samuel plans…” Carter stopped and returned his attention to her. Sonya
refused to lift her head, though she could sense his eyes on her. “I will get
you out of her, Your Majesty. You should not be held in this dank, depressing
hole. I will—”

Carter snapped his mouth shut as
the soft thud of boots ricocheted off the cavern walls.

Sonya held her breath and
silently prayed Carter nor would the Commander sense Falcon.

“Councilman,” the hunter greeted
with a salute. The Commander spared a contemptible glance at Sonya. “It is time
for the changing of the guard.”

“And you’ve come to check on the
prisoner?” Carter asked, his voice flat and his expression neutral.

“Yes.” He peered over Carter’s
shoulder, squinting into the darkness. “You came alone, sir?”

“I did. I wanted to question the
prisoner in private.”

“With respect, Councilman, it is
unsafe for you to be unguarded in her presence. Royal vamps are incredibly
strong, fast, and crafty. Some are even said to have powers of the mind,” the
hunter said.

“I’m aware, Commander,” Carter replied. “I
came knowing you would be arriving shortly. Now, will you accompany me to the
lift? I would like to discuss some changes I want made in regards to the
prisoner.”

Yes, go. Go! Sonya wanted to scream. Biting
her lip, she kept silent. Sonya’s body tensed, preparing to run, to fight, to
escape. God, Falcon was here. Ever since she had been captured she had wondered
if she would ever see the Black Knight again. Fate in all her glory and wisdom
had brought him to her and Sonya would be forever grateful.

“Sir, I’ve men waiting up top.”

Leave. Blood filled her mouth as her
teeth sliced her lower lip. Still, she did not make a sound.

“It will only take a few
moments,” Carter insisted.

The commander nodded. Carter did
not look at or say another word to her. He turned and led the man down the
shadow-dominated hall.